Mohammad, PhD student on Robotics at the University of Coimbra, asking for support to Syrian students to the President of the European Commission during a debate on "The future of Europe - What Europe we want?", held in Coimbra on 31 October in the framework of the celebration of Mr. Jean-Claude Junker Honoris Causa degree.

I must say that in general we are really impressed by the high quality of your applications and encouraged by your resilience and determination to go ahead with your education in spite of all difficulties and challenges you are faced with. We stand by you, be assured.

However, we have received more than 2000 applications. So I am afraid most of you will be disappointed because you will not be notified that you have been shortlisted. I am tremendously sorry for that, believe me.

We will keep trying to raise more funds to award more scholarships. Therefore we will constitute a reserve list and will use it as soon as it will be possible to offer more academic opportunities to new candidates. Candidates who will be included on this list will be informed by the end of September.

Thank you for your interest and for your trust. I hope you will continue to apply for other academic opportunities for which you feel qualified.

Dear candidates - Many thanks for being so patient. We are very grateful to you for applying to our scholarship programme. We have started sending out emails to shortlisted candidates. However it will take some time to finalize these procedures. We expect to have all shortlisted candidates informed by 8 September, Friday. Sorry for making you waiting in anxiety , but with more than 2000 applications it is a difficult process that has to be followed. Kindly note that if by Friday evening you had not received any email from us, it means that you were not shortlisted. However do not give up, there are always other opportunities that come up.

Many thanks for your cooperation

The GP4SYS team.

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]]>tiago@tiagobiscaia.com (fixuser)NewsMon, 04 Sep 2017 21:50:33 +0000How often do you get a chance to change a life?http://www.globalplatformforsyrianstudents.org/index.php/news-room/how-often-do-you-get-a-chance-to-change-a-life
http://www.globalplatformforsyrianstudents.org/index.php/news-room/how-often-do-you-get-a-chance-to-change-a-life

FLASH FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

Help us raise 880.000 euros by 10 September aimed at funding 100 new scholarships (for young Syrian women and young Syrian men) for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Help us to give hope for the future to 100 Young Syrian Students, to their families and communities.

Lisbon/Portugal – President Sampaio, Chairman of the Global Platform for Syrian Students and the Portuguese High Commissioner for Migrants signed, today, 26 July, a Cooperation Agreement that creates 12 new scholarships available for refugees in Portugal. The ceremony was chaired by Mr. Eduardo Cabrita, Minister in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister in charge of welcoming and integrating Refugees in Portugal. The ceremony was also attended by Ms. Catarina Marcelino, Secretary of State for Citizenship and Equality of Portugal.

During the ceremony, Ryam, Zabya, Mohammad and Mustafa, Syrian students in Portugal, shared with the audience some moving thoughts about their experience and made a strong call for more opportunities for Syrian students to complete their education.

These scholarships will be already available and awarded for the upcoming academic year of 2017-2018. A call for applications will be announced in coming days.

With this new step, Portugal is at the forefront of the implementation of the commitment made at the UN Summit on refugees and migrants held last September, expressed in the paragraph 82 of the New York Declaration which aims at boosting higher education opportunities for refugees and forced migrants. This paragraph reads as follows: “ … We will also promote tertiary education, skills training and vocational education. In conflict and crisis situations, higher education serves as a powerful driver for change, shelters and protects a critical group of young men and women by maintaining their hopes for the future, fosters inclusion and non-discrimination and acts as a catalyst for the recovery and rebuilding of post-conflict countries”.

The Summer School was organized with the support of the Ministry of Health of Italy and the regional health authorities of Sicily, and in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration and the Health Initiative of the Americas at the University of California, Berkeley, United States of America; the European Commission; and the European Public Health Association.

Overview

The Summer School improved participants’ knowledge and understanding of the main health issues and needs of refugees and migrants, and of the broader public health and health-system implications of large-scale migration in origin, transit and destination countries. It provided a space for bridging research, policy and practice; sharing practical, real-world knowledge and experience; and fostering debate and critical thinking.

The theme of this year’s Summer School was “Managing the public health aspects of migration” and included a combination of plenary presentations, workshops, interactive discussions and panels, as well as international experts from different regions and disciplines relevant to the area of migration and health.

The course included a field trip to a point-of-entry location in Sicily known for receiving regular arrivals of refugees and migrants. The trip provided participants with first-hand knowledge of how authorities in Italy are currently managing the public health challenges related to migration.

Beyond the course curriculum, the Summer School also offered networking opportunities through social events and possibilities for alumni to become connected with WHO/Europe’s migration and health work through the Knowledge Hub on Health and Migration and other ongoing activities.

At the end of the Summer School, participants would understand:

• the relevance of migration within public health, the key public health implications of the migration phenomenon and the effects of social, economic and cultural determinants on the health of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants;• the potential of intersectoral policies and actions to improve the health of migrating populations;• the process of mainstreaming and converging policy agendas with a special focus on health, migration, human rights and gender;• the health status of migrant populations and the impact of the epidemiological transition on the health of migrants;• migrants’ access to health care, including existing barriers and possible policy options to overcome them;• the economic argument in relation to migrant health;• effective strategies to design and implement outreach programmes targeting migrant populations; and• emerging issues and ongoing policy debates in the field of migration and health at European and global levels.

Building upon the European experience to strengthen capacity on refugee and migrant health

An unprecedented number of refugees and migrants have arrived in European countries in recent years. Over 1.3 million have arrived by the Mediterranean Sea since 2015; this is in addition to the almost 3 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

WHO/Europe is working closely with ministries of health to enhance the public health response to large-scale migration. In September 2016, the WHO European Region became the first region to adopt a strategy, action plan and resolution on refugee and migrant health. These documents identify 9 priority areas with specific actions to enhance the public health response to migration. The need to improve the capacity of the health sector to deal with refugee and migrant health issues was one of the key recommendations made following the assessment missions conducted across the Region. It is also a priority action identified in the action plan.

The Summer School on Refugee and Migrant Health aims to provide the necessary guidance, training and support tools to enable public health workers, service providers and planners to understand and implement appropriate migrant-sensitive interventions, while enabling the sharing of knowledge and skills among participating countries.

Target audience

The main target audience is composed of high-level technical government officials. A number of seats will also be reserved for researchers with a record of experience in the area of migration and health. The Summer School will accept a maximum of 70 participants. Following an application process, the organizers will inform participants about their acceptance into the course.

Going Global 2017 Conference on "Global cities: connecting talent, driving change" was attended by over 900 delegates (leaders in higher education, business and government) from around the world, including representative of the Global Platform for Syrian Students. Some 77 countries were represented by delegates, including vice-chancellors, pro vice-chancellors, and government ministers.

During the conference participants "explored how universities and colleges support city-regional economies and social and civic engagement, connecting the world's cities to global knowledge and talent and addressing global challenges" and examined "this theme through four lenses: Research and innovation, Talent development and flows, Societies and communities and Leadership."

The Global Platform for Syrian Students was invited to participate in a Planning and Development Workshop delivered in partnership with the British Council, and built on the 23 May 2017 Going Global session about World Access to Higher Education Day.

Participants of the workshop discussed how "extending access is fundamental to combatting global inequality within and between nations".